U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY

NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA
No. 49
[Date of publication, December, 1926]

A BIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF NORTH DAKOTA
I. PHYSIOGRAPHY AND LIFE ZONES
II. THE MAMMALS

BY
VERNON BAILEY
BIOLOGIST
DIVISION OF BIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS
BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY

WASHINGTON
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
1926

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,          
BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY,     
Washington, D. C., December 11, 1925.

      SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith, recommending that it be published as No. 49 in the series of the North American Fauna, a report on the biological survey of North Dakota, prepared by Vernon Bailey, biologist of this bureau. This report is in two parts, the first treating of the physiography and natural life zones of the State, accompanied, as in similar reports, by a map of the life zones; and the second, the mammalian life, consisting of notes on the distribution, abundance, and habits of the mammals of the State. Both are based on natural-history explorations conducted by the bureau and cooperating State organizations in North Dakota over many years, the work on the mammals having begun in 1887, and preliminary reports thereon having been published in the annual report of this bureau in 1888, when it was known as the Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammals, and in a circular of the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment station, in 1914, the latter being in the nature of a cooperative report of progress and an appeal for additional local detailed information. The present report comprises a valuable contribution to knowledge and will be useful to farmers, students, and others interested in the distribution, habits, and economic relations of our wild-animal life.

      Respectfully,

E. W. NELSON,      
Chief of Bureau.

Hon. W. M. JARDINE,
      Secretary of Agriculture.

CONTENTS

    Introduction . . . 1
    PART I. Physiography and life zones of North Dakota . . . 3
      Changing conditions . . . 3
      General physiographic features . . . 3
        Glacial remains . . . 3
        Lowered water levels . . . 4
        Drainage systems . . . 4
        Elevations and the Badlands . . . 5
        Prairie . . . 7
        Forest . . . 7
      Life zones . . . 8
        Upper Austral Zone . . . 8
          Mammals . . . 9
          Breeding birds . . . 9
          Plants . . . 10
          Crop adaptations . . . 10
        Transition Zone . . . 11
          Mammals . . . 11
          Breeding birds . . . 12
          Plants . . . 13
          Crop adaptations . . . 14
        Canadian Zone . . . 14
          Mammals . . . 15
          Breeding birds . . . 15
          Plants . . . 16
          Crop adaptations . . . 16
    PART II. The Mammals of North Dakota . . . 17
      Introduction . . . 17
        Present and former abundance . . . 17
        Useful and harmful species . . . 18
        Indian names of mammals . . . 18
        Measurements and weights . . . 18
      Order Artiodactyla: Hoofed animals--cattle, sheep, goats, antelope, and deer . . . 19
        Family Bovidae: Cattle, sheep, and goats . . . 19
          American bison, American buffalo . . . 19
          Audubon mountain sheep . . . 25
        Family Antilocapridae: Pronghorned antelope . . . 27
          Pronghorned antelope, American antelope, pronghorn . . . 27
        Family Cervidae: Moose, elk, caribou, and deer . . . 31
          Moose . . . 31
          Woodland caribou . . . 32
          American elk, wapiti . . . 33
          Plains white-tailed deer . . . 36
          Mule deer . . . 41
      Order Rodentia. Gnawing animals . . . 43
        Family Sciuridae: Squirrels, chipmunks, prairie dogs, ground squirrels, and marmots . . . 43
          Pale flying squirrel . . . 43
          Minnesota gray squirrel, black squirrel . . . 45
          Red squirrel, chickaree . . . 46
          Little northern chipmunk . . . 47
          Pale chipmunk, Badlands chipmunk . . . 49
          Gray chipmunk . . . 51
          Striped ground squirrel, thirteen-lined ground squirrel, leopard squirrel . . . 52
          Pale striped ground squirrel, pale thirteen-lined ground squirrel . . . 54
          Gray ground squirrel, Franklin ground squirrel . . . 55
          Richardson ground squirrel, flickertail . . . 58
          Black-tailed prairie dog . . . 62
          Rufescent woodchuck, groundhog . . . 67
          Canada woodchuck, groundhog . . . 69
        Family Muridae: Old World rats and mice . . . 70
          Brown rat, house rat, wharf rat . . . 70
          House mouse . . . 72
        Family Cricetidae: White-footed mice, harvest mice, grasshopper mice, wood rats, and voles . . . 73
          Osgood white-footed mouse . . . 73
          Baird white-footed mouse . . . 76
          Northern white-footed mouse, deer mouse . . . 77
          Badlands white-footed mouse . . . 79
          Prairie harvest mouse . . . 80
          Maximilian grasshopper mouse . . . 81
          Audubon grasshopper mouse . . . 83
          Pale bushytailed wood rat . . . 86
          Red-backed mouse . . . 88
          Eastern meadow mouse . . . 90
          Drummond meadow mouse . . . 92
          Bean mouse, hetunka . . . 94
          Western upland mouse . . . 98
          Little upland mouse . . . 99
          Pale mouse . . . 101
          Great Plains muskrat . . . 102
        Family Castoridae: Beavers . . . 105
          Canada beaver . . . 105
          Missouri River beaver . . . 108
        Family Erethizontidae: Porcupines . . . 114
          Yellow-haired porcupine, Rocky Mountain porcupine . . . 114
          Black-haired porcupine, Canada porcupine . . . 116
        Family Zapodidae: Jumping mice . . . 117
          Prairie Jumping mouse . . . 117
        Family Heteromyidae: Pocket mice, kangaroo rats . . . 119
          Maximilian pocket mouse . . . 119
          Dusky pocket mouse . . . 121
          Kansas pocket mouse . . . 123
          Richardson kangaroo rat . . . 124
        Family Geoniyidae: Pocket gophers . . . 125
          Mississippi Valley pocket gopher . . . 125
          Dakota pocket gopher . . . 130
          Sagebrush pocket gopher . . . 133
      Order Lagomorpha: Rabbitlike animals . . . 134
        Family Leporidae: Rabbits . . . 134
          Nebraska cottontail . . . 134
          Black Hills cottontail . . . 137
          Wyoming cottontail . . . 137
          Varying hare, white rabbit, snowshoe rabbit . . . 138
          White-tailed jack rabbit . . . 141
      Order Carnivora: Flesh eaters . . . 144
        Family Felidae: Cats . . . 144
          Mountain lion, cougar, panther . . . 144
          Canada lynx . . . 146
          Northern bobcat, mountain bobcat, spotted wild cat . . . 148
          Eastern bobcat, wild cat . . . 149
        Family Canidae: Dogs, wolves, and foxes . . . 150
          Gray wolf, buffalo wolf, lobo, loafer . . . 150
          Northern coyote, brush wolf . . . 156
          Plains coyote, prairie wolf . . . 157
          Yellow-red fox . . . 160
          Kit fox, prairie fox, swift . . . 163
        Family Mustelidae: Weasels, minks, martens, skunks, badgers . . . 166
          Long-tailed weasel, ermine . . . 166
          Bonaparte weasel, short-tailed weasel . . . 169
          Least weasel . . . 170
          Black-footed ferret . . . 171
          Mink . . . 173
          Marten, pine marten, American sable . . . 176
          Fisher, pekan, black cat . . . 177
          Wolverene, glutton, "Indian devil" . . . 178
          Otter . . . 179
          Northern skunk . . . 181
          Badger . . . 184
        Family Procyonidae: Raccoons . . . 187
          Raccoon, "coon" . . . 187
        Family Ursidae: Bears . . . 191
          Black bear, cinnamon bear . . . 191
          Grizzly bear, big Plains grizzly, silvertip . . . 193
          Absaroka grizzly . . . 198
      Order Insectivora, Insect-eating mammals . . . 199
        Family Talpidae: Moles . . . 199
          Missouri Valley mole . . . 199
          Star-nosed mole . . . 200
        Family Boricidae: Shrews . . . 200
          Hayden masked shrew . . . 200
          Merriam shrew . . . 202
          Richardson shrew, black-backed shrew, saddle-backed shrew . . . 203
          Water shrew, marsh shrew . . . 203
          Pigmy shrew . . . 204
          Short-tailed shrew, mole shrew . . . 205
      Order Chiroptera: Winged mammals . . . 207
        Family Vespertilionidae: Common bats . . . 207
          Hoary bat, great gray bat . . . 207
          Red bat, New York bat . . . 209
          Large brown bat . . . 210
          Silver-haired bat, silvery bat, black bat . . . 212
          Little brown bat . . . 213
          Yellowstone bat . . . 215
          Say bat . . . 216
          Little long-eared bat . . . 216
    Bibliography . . . 217
    Index . . . 221

ILLUSTRATIONS

PLATES

    PLATE 1. Map of North Dakota, showing life zones
    PLATE 2. Fig. 1. Short grass prairie of western North Dakota. Fig. 2. Prairie slough and glacial ridge of central North Dakota
    PLATE 3. Fig. 1. Yellow pines on buttes south of Medora. Fig. 2. Badlands and sagebrush at Medora
    PLATE 4. Fig. 1. Typical lake of the Turtle Mountains. Fig. 2. Typical aspen forest of the Turtle Mountains
    PLATE 5. Fig. 1. Red River with its forested shores, near Fargo. Fig. 2. Type of forest along the Red River, near Fargo
    PLATE 6. Cottonwood timber along the Missouri River bottoms, near Mandan
    PLATE 7. Buck antelope
    PLATE 8. Heads of moose, northern white-tailed deer, and mule deer
    PLATE 9. Fig. 1. Two bull elk. Fig. 2. Plains white-tailed deer
    PLATE 10. Skins of pale, little northern, and gray chipmunks
    PLATE 11. Fig. 1. Osgood white-footed mice in captivity. Fig. 2. Bean mouse. Fig. 3.Richardson kangaroo rat
    PLATE 12. Kansas pocket mouse, prairie jumping mouse, and prairie harvest mouse
    PLATE 13. Fig. 1. Grasshopper mouse. Fig. 2. Pale bushytailed wood rat 84
    PLATE 14. Pale mouse, little upland mouse, western upland mouse, Drummond mouse, bean mouse, and eastern meadow mouse
    PLATE 15. Fig. 1. Dusky pocket mouse. Fig. 2. Badger
    PLATE 16. Mississippi Valley pocket gopher
    PLATE 17. Fig. 1. Yellow-red fox. Fig. 2.Blackfooted ferret. Fig. 3. Varying hare, or snowshoe rabbit
    PLATE 18. Fig. 1. Plains coyote. Fig. 2.Otters
    PLATE 19. Fig. 1. Common mole. Fig. 2. Star-nosed mole
    PLATE 20. Short-tailed, Richardson, Hayden, and pigmy shrews
    PLATE 21. Fig. l. Hoary and silver-haired bats. Fig. 2. Say bat

TEXT FIGURES

    FIG. 1. Map showing records of three species of chipmunks in North Dakota: Gray chipmunk, little northern chipmunk, and pale chipmunk
    FIG. 2. Map showing distribution of the thirteen-lined ground squirrel and its pale western form in North Dakota
    FIG. 3. Map showing records of Franklin ground squirrel in North Dakota
    FIG. 4. Map showing records of Richardson ground squirrel in North Dakota
    FIG. 5. Map showing distribution of prairie-dog towns in North Dakota
    FIG. 6. Map showing localities where woodchucks are known in North Dakota
    FIG. 7. Map showing records of pocket gophers in North Dakota: The Mississippi Valley pocket gopher and the Dakota pocket gopher
    FIG. 8. Map showing records of three species of cottontail rabbit in North Dakota The Nebraska cottontail, the Black Hills cottontail, and the Wyoming cottontail

Title Pages & Contents     Introduction     Part I.     Part II. Introduction     Part II. Artiodactyla     Part II. Rodentia     Part II. Lagomorpha     Part II. Carnivora     Part II. Insectivora     Part II. Chiroptera     Bibliography     Index    

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North Dakota State University Libraries
July 2, 2002